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Why Everyone Hates It: When asked, most people will reply that heavy metal isn't for everyone. Upon clarifying that one is referring to the game Dragon Force, and not the band named after it, they've simply never heard of it.
Legitimate Issues With the Game: Like most games with this sort of world domination based strategy gameplay, monotony can set in after playing for a long enough time.
Why I Like It Anyway: Dragon Force is, with the possible exception of Panzer Dragoon Saga, the most compelling reason to own a Saturn. Most of this is due to how inherently interesting combat is, but it also features surprisingly high replay value, and a rather notable Working Designs translation.
Before delving into the details though, let's discuss the overall approach of the game. We have a map of a large continent, featuring 8 different capital nations, each with a leader and several trusted generals, generally all capable of commanding the same type of troops as each other as something of a national standard. Any of these 8 leaders can be selected when starting a new game (although 2 are only unlocked after winning and starting a new game). Each has their own generally unique plot, all of which eventually involve gathering 8 chosen ones (coincidentally, of course, the rulers of each kingdom), with at least the vast majority of that gathering taking the form of conquering each kingdom in turn, then heading off to take down the lord of all evil.
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Upon totally wiping a kingdom out (or, in some cases, just reaching their borders), a series of cutscenes will (usually) eventually leave the leader and their inner circle of generals will all join your party, appearing at whatever location on the map your leader is in. This generally waits however until "domestic affairs beckon." Regular breaks in the action to save, fortify castles, and award generals with the ability to command more (or different) troop types. Of course, since the various castles dotting the map are the only source of new troops for your generals, and must have at least one general staying behind in each in order to maintain their benefits, along with those left at key locations to defend against the other armies marching all over the world, the meager handful of generals each leader starts with don't stretch very far. Fortunately, each capital neighbors a group of local troublemakers, who can be quickly captured and convinced to join up, as can the occasional wandering bandit, general found while searching around captured castles, and a fair number of others from side quests, there's a total of well over 100 generals out in the world, every single one of which can, and most likely will, eventually be won over to your army.
This is where the translation comes into play. With the possible exception of some of the more generic, randomly encountered, generals, each and every one of these characters has their own personality, their own little battle quotes, and in a rather staggering number of cases, their own relationships with particular other generals, leading to unique conversations when they meet on the battlefield. For instance, one general has a nasty scar received in an attack by another character, and will spout off about revenge if facing her. A rather impressive samurai has a ridiculously feminine face, and constantly ends up shouting corrections at various womanizers who hit on him in the pre-battle dialog. Several others seem to have some weird romantic histories they're still working out.
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These taunts and conversations of course lead into the actual battles, which are the real high point of the game. Groups of up to 5 generals stock up on troops at castles, with each being only able to command a single troop type, but quite a lot at once. When fully upgraded, a general can have 100 troops at once. When a group of generals meets another, or reaches an occupied castle, a battle begins, with generals pairing off against each other until all of one side's generals have been defeated or retreated. The actual combat involves each general sitting on opposite sides of a long tilted field, with the entirety of their troops spread in front of them, each as a large individual sprite. Troops on each side are placed in one of several formations. All generals can use the "special" (everyone in one big heap), offensive (20% being maintained as a rear guard) or defensive (flipping the ratio of offensive), and a personal gimmick formation, generally involving special rules and command options, as well as giving every unit a bonus to a particular stat.
Battle then begins, with commands being issued at will, causing every troop on the field to act with very limited AI, standing ready against an attack, falling back, clumping into the middle of the field, spacing out along the edges, or advancing. A special "melee" command also exists, causing all troops to break formation and simply charge at the nearest enemy target, not counting the general. Different troop types have strengths and weaknesses in a paper-rock-scissors sort of fashion, which can be overcome in many cases by clever use of formations and commands, particularly when the two long range unit types come into play. More importantly in many cases, the generals themselves who stand on their respective ends of the field hacking down oncoming attackers as they whittle down their huge HP bars learn various spells as they level. While a few spells are more utilitarian, reviving dead troops, or keeping enemies from moving for a period, most simply send out waves of death in varying patterns, potentially taking out half, or even all, of the enemy troops if used properly.
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Actually watching all of this play out is a truly wonderful sight, blocky sprite scaling or not. If neither side's general retreats or falls before all the troops have been killed, a non-interactive duel is fought, with each general taking turns trading blows, periodically shouting and launching three attacks in a row if they are particularly oriented towards dueling, or simply luck out. Some generals, when particularly over-levelled, can manage to withstand the attacks of huge troop totals fighting alone, and still win a duel, others can be dropped by a few general-targetting spells before the fight has even really started.
Near the end of the game, after taking over the entire world, things suddenly become extremely narrative driven, with demons attacking, the chosen 8 having to leave the other generals behind and embark on particular quests, and an eventual big epic showdown with a demonic god and a few choice harbingers of doom, including battles against unique special troop types and a rather baffling city destroying sized transforming robot from space. On the one hand, it's an interesting change of pace after hours of battling it out with every character in the game. On the other hand, suddenly having to switch to using only 8 characters can be annoying, especially if some are under-levelled, and spending fairly long stretches of time waiting for new plot points to trigger can really hurt the game's momentum.
Overall though, it is an excellent game, worth playing if the chance arises. A sequel was released only in Japan, which marries wonderful improvements like the ability to command 2 troop types at once and adding map locations that can be used for emergency level grinding with shockingly drab new graphics. It's surprisingly playable (to a point) for those inclined to import, using Shining Force style graphical menus, and other symbology which transcends language barriers. Otherwise, the unique combat system has never really been attempted anywhere else, which is rather a shame.
